Bengaluru: The Congress on Sunday said it would organise state-wide protests from November 4 to 14 on the economic situtation in the country, which it described as as being “in an ICU” as it accused the Modi government of pushing the country towards a ‘financial emergency’.
The party warned the union government against signing the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) - free trade agreement, without holding wider consultations.
“The country’s economic situation is in such a state that it is in an ICU... employment generation has completely stopped and has reached a coma rather people are losing jobs as industries are shutting down,” KPCC President Dinesh Gundurao told reporters here.
He alleged that people were unable to save money and the situation of banks had reached a ‘sorry state’. “It looks as though there is a financial emergency in the country,” he said.
Rao said Congress would kick start its protests on the state of economy and the 'flawed economic policies' of the Centre at Mundgod of Uttara Kannada on Monday, in which senior party leaders would participate.
This would be followed by protests in Shivamogga on November 5, at Hassan on November 7, and on November 12,13 and 14 at Bijapur, Raichur and Chitradurga respectively, Rao said.
On November 9 there will be district level protests, he said, adding that a large-scale protest would he held in Bengaluru on November 11 on economic issues and also an awareness campaign to make people aware of it.
He pointed out that when Narendra Modi first became the PM, he had sold many dreams to the people of the country becoming an economic power and doubling farmers' income.
“However the numbers (now) dont show it happening”.
He cited figures by several agencies about increase in unemployment, dip in GDP, fall in private sector investment, industrial, manufacturing, core sector growth and exports- and increasing NPA, he said,
“Tax revenues have also fallen...on the whole, the fiscal situation of the country is very bad. The situation has reached this level because of decisions like demonetization and unplanned implementation of GST,” he alleged. Rao said the government lacks a reform policy and was instead indulging in “headline management” by organising large scale events abroad to divert attention from the real issues.
